Prince William County Marks 25th Anniversary of Sept. 11 with Remembrance Ceremony
Brenda Lynch, whose husband, James T. Lynch, Jr., died at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, told a crowd gathered at a remembrance ceremony at Sean T. Connaughton Plaza how she waited at home after planes struck the World Trade Center and, soon after, the Pentagon, hoping against hope for her husband’s return.
“I drove home that morning, crying most of the way home and just sat and waited,” she said. “Sometimes it is hard to believe that it has been 25 years and other times, it feels like it was yesterday. I can tell you exactly what I was doing on that day as I am sure some of you can also. From that day forward, time was measured, at least by me, by ‘Before 9/11’ when Jimmy was alive or ‘After 9/11’ when he was gone.”
Despite the tremendous loss, Lynch also reflected on how people across the country came together in the aftermath of the attacks.
“The one good thing that came out of this tragedy was that it brought this Country together like I had never seen. People were kind to each other and so patriotic,” she said. “This memorial, the memorial at the Pentagon, the memorial in New York City and the memorial in Shanksville, were built to honor the lives lost on that day and so that future generations never forget what happened on 9/11.”
Prince William County’s annual Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony brought residents, first responders, local leaders and families together at the McCoart Government Center to honor the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks, including 22 Prince William County residents.
Bugler Donna Flory played “Call to Order” to open the ceremony, followed by the presentation of the colors by the Prince William County Joint Honor Guard. The Osbourn Park High School Madrigals performed the national anthem and later delivered a moving performance of U2’s “MLK” at the ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Vickie Taylor, Director of the Prince William Public Safety Resilience Center, a wellness and counseling center that supports Prince William County first responders, said the gathering was an opportunity to “pause and honor the innocent lives taken too soon” and to remember the courageous first responders who gave their lives to save others as well as their resilient families, friends and co-workers.
“Twenty-five years later, the profound loss and sorrow remain, but as we look around us tonight, so do the love and hope,” Taylor said. “Twenty-five years ago, Sept. 11, 2001, forever changed our nation. Our own community felt this tragedy deeply; we lost more members than any other jurisdiction in the entire metro area.”
Taylor also talked about the hope that sprang from the rubble in New York, at the Pentagon and near Shanksville in the weeks and months following the attacks.
“People of vastly diverse backgrounds, cultures and beliefs came together. They stood shoulder to shoulder. They reached out their hands to lift one another up,” Taylor said. “We gather this evening not simply to look backward at this tragedy, but to remind ourselves of who we are when we stand together.”
Board of County Supervisors Chair At-Large Deshundra Jefferson reflected on the lives behind the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks before reading the names of the Prince William County residents who died.
“We come together tonight to remember the nearly 3,000 people whose lives were taken. We remember parents, children, spouses, siblings, friends, coworkers and neighbors,” Jefferson said. “Each had a name. Each had a story. Each left behind someone who loved them.”
Jefferson then read the names of the 22 Prince William County residents, which are etched into the sides of the reflecting pool at the Liberty Memorial.
Following the reading of the names, retired Prince William County Fire and Rescue Lt. Jeff Howdyshell continued a tradition he has carried out at every previous county Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony by performing the Tolling of the Bell, a fire and rescue tradition honoring those who have died in the line of duty. Fire and Rescue Lt. Eamonn Radburn then performed “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes.
Prince William County Executive Chris Shorter closed the ceremony by reflecting on the different experiences and perspectives people bring to the remembrance and the connection they share 25 years later.
“Each of us comes to this remembrance ceremony with a different connection to 9/11 and a different perspective.... and yet, 25 years later, we are all here together,” Shorter said. “Because connection is more than something we feel. It is something we choose. We choose to care for one another. We choose to serve one another. And through those choices, we strengthen the community we share. That is what makes this gathering so meaningful 25 years later.”
Shorter then invited everyone to visit the Liberty Memorial Fountain, the World Trade Center Steel and the fire truck donated by the Americans in Wartime Museum from FDNY Squad 252 in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The six members of Squad 252 died after responding to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. The truck will remain on display at the Connaughton Plaza through Sept. 18. The Liberty Memorial Fountain and World Trade Center steel are located on the grounds of the County Complex.
Flory, who has played the bugle at every previous Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony the county has hosted, sounded “Echo Taps” with fellow bugler Bill Skiba to conclude the ceremony.
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